Ignatz
Ignatz is a Seelie Sluagh Grump in Graymere Glen. Overview Ignatz runs a well-sequestered (read: hidden and highly illegal) head shop out of his trailer in the woods west of Graymere. He's been set up there from time immemorial; some 1920s-era pictures of bootleggers in the local newspaper morgue feature a character who looks suspiciously like a younger Ignatz. A master of pharmaceutical arts, he commonly receives visitors from colleges as far away as Vasser, UMass, and Brown, and subculture legends of 'Wild Man Iggy' have spread his name far and wide. It is rumored that he has a small fortune tucked away in the chaos of his trailer, but his real treasure lies in his storehouse of esoteric knowledge. Being far more sociable and communicative than most sluagh, Ignatz was the one who tipped off the victims of the 1970 raid. He befriended the Schnorrflers long before Robin and Jeremiah did, and can occasionally get them to obey certain of his requests. Both the growing rift between the two pooka and the presence of Sir Denis fill Ignatz with nagging discomfort but he doesn't feel he's gathered enough information to act intelligently on the matter yet. Image To the un-Glamoured eye, Ignatz is one more drug-crazed ex-hippie, trying to cling to the '60s when '80s nostalgia in all the rage. His hair is frizzed out in nine million different directions and his beard leaks down nearly to his knees. His eyes are bright and blue, though opinions vary as to precisely which of his concoctions produces this effect. Stooped, bent, and withered with age, he could have survived this long merely so that he could point to himself in crowd scene during screenings of the film Woodstock. In fae mien, he not so much withering as wizening, however, and those bright eyes are as large as saucers. He is also much less amusing looking and far more terrifying because there is no escape from his gaze anywhere in Dudleytown. His thin arms are corded like tree branches; the ends of his long, thin fingers are tipped with wicked black claws. While he still wears tatters, these are the shreds of ancient finery and all his clothes are the color of dried blood. From he woven leather belt at his waist hangs a mortar and pestle that he claims is chimerical silversteel and that it purifies any substance ground within it. Some travelers who have met Ignatz have openly compared him to the legendary Far Darrig, or Red Man, of Irish legend. The fae have legends of this character as well, which identify him as a malicious trickster with a taste for blood and sorrow. While Ignatz himself is no fan of violence, his appearance and his taste for the nasty practical joke have made enough people wonder that he is starting to draw attention from very lofty circles indeed. The mere mention of the legend around him is enough to drive Iggy into a rage, but that doesn't keep people from talking once they have left his trailer. Treasure Ignatz' Treasure is a rhinoceros horn which transmogrifies into a unicorn horn who viewed under Glamour. This is extremely useful for one in his line of work, as it turns purple when exposed to any poisonous mixtures. It also has limited healing abilities; if laid on the breast of a poison or overdose victim, it will purify their blood and drive the poison out. It can only perform this function once per day, but it's a cold day in Hell indeed when Iggy lets more than one person OD on his doorstep. Personal People think he's crazy, huh? Mebbe they don't think he's crazy enough! He's wild, rambles, drools, and quotes extensively from Kerouac. Then, just when everyone has decided he's utterly looney, he gives 'em a wink and lets them know it was just an act. Just how much, well, that's for them to figure out... or to worry about. He uses his rep as a drug-addled old man to his advantage. People will talk a lot more freely in front of someone they consider harmless. He gathers information, yes, but not just for its own sake. He's got an agenda (keeping the flame of the '60s alive, protecting the Glen, putting a ski pole sideways up the butt of authority), and every move he makes is a step on the path of achieving those ends. He'll never forget what forced him to hide out in the woods (actually, he has forgotten it, but he freely makes up three or four wild stories, all mutually contradictory, that he shares with others), and treats Banality like it's a personal insult. Oh, and he's set on making a profit on his little chemical concoctions as well. Ain't never been a revolution that didn't need money and he's personally going to make sure the next one will be well funded. Iggy's Magic Voodoo "Oh-My-Lord-It's-A'Comin-For-Me" Potions, Mushrooms, & Wacky Tobacky In addition to producing normal hallucinogens and such for his discerning clientele, Ignatz also prepares such things for the Kithain. He maintains several garden plots right on the lakeshore for his mushrooms, cannabis, and other herbs, letting them suck up Glamour along with the lake water. As might be expected, even after his preparations, drugs made from these plants tend to produce effects that can only be described as wild. While there is no set response to any of Iggy's special concoctions, their effects tend to fall into one of three major categories: playing games with Glamour, creation of chimera, and just plain weirdness. The first is easiest to identify, as his products often result in wild fluctuations in temporary or even permanent Glamour. A bad trip can strip a changeling of all temporary Glamour, leaving them alone and defenseless even as the hallucinations continue. On the other hand, some fae find themselves suddenly aware of the beauty in a particular piece of plywood, or the carapace of a beetle, or even their own hands, and find their temporary Glamour skyrocketing. The second effect is also self-explanatory. There are things besides the Schnorrflers wandering the woods now and Ignatz is more or less responsible for them all. As for effect number three, suffice it to say that anything can and has happened under the influence of Iggy's 'Specials'. Footprints that glow, eyes that wander randomly around faces, the loss of ten years of age or the growth of an extra set of arms... all of these have been known to occur. While such effects are relatively rare, they happen often enough to spread Iggy's legend far and wide. On a final note, Ignatz claims that he has never given a Special to a mortal. In this, he is in fact lying. He doesn't bother labeling most of his Specials, suspecting (rightly) that any attempt to organize such things would weaken their power. As such, mortals who get one all have remarkably similar trips, usually involving seeing faeries all over the place. Veterans of the hallucinogenic scene, especially those who have already taken a trip on the Glamour 'shroom express, merely see this as proof that 'Wild Man Iggy' really does make the best stuff around. Note While there is no explicit linking between the two in the literature, Iggy's Head Shop in San Francisco is named for Ignatz and might carry some of his concoctions to the fae of Goldengate. References # CTD. Freeholds & Hidden Glens, pp. 68-70. Category:Seelie (CTD) Category:Sluagh (CTD) Category:Grumps (CTD)